Parliament prepares working group on child sexual abuse

PS, PSD, IL, Bloco, PCP and sole MPs PAN and Livre sign a request to form a working group to evaluate amendments to legislation on sexual harassment committed against minors.

This request, which Lusa had access to, is simply not signed by the Chegi court and, according to the seven proposers, should work within the framework of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees.

After the final report of the Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church “Give a voice to silence” became known, the parliamentary groups PS, PSD, Iniciativa Liberal, Bloco de Esquerda, PCP and the united PAN and Livre deputies understand that ” the seriousness of the evidence presented and the extent of the abuse and suffering of the victims call for a deep reflection on what needs to be done to, as far as possible, redress the harm done to the victims and prevent future recurrence of this heinous crime.”

“The aforementioned report, in view of its length, the multiplicity of approaches adopted and the cross-cutting of the recommendations left (calling for legislative changes and the need to strengthen public policy at different levels or social subsystems), deserves a more detailed analysis, in particular in aspects considered important in the context of possible legislative intervention, which should be initiated and/or considered in Parliament”, is defended in the text of this statement.

In this sense, it is believed that a reflection “focused on weighing the needs of victims and their rights would benefit from the systematization of work through the creation of a structure within the Commission on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees.” “.

In addition to hearing the organizations mentioned in the IC’s final report, the authors of this document also argue that it is important to “gather elements from relevant public spheres in order to enrich the preparatory work for future legislative interventions or parliamentary oversight.”

This working group, among other missions, is to conduct hearings “as seem appropriate” within the framework of the data released in the report of the Independent Commission on the Study of Sexual Abuse of Children in the Catholic Church, as well as analyze “recommendations for changing the legislative measures provided for in the said report , namely with an appeal to an overview of the relevant comparative law and the law of the European Union”.

PS, PSD, Iniciativa Liberal, Bloco de Esquerda, PCP, PAN and Livre also state that “they undertake the work of pointing out the peculiarity of possible legislative initiatives that can be approved in general on this issue in the course of their work.”

The Commission on Constitutional Affairs unanimously approved this Wednesday several hearings proposed by PS, PSD and Chega, including the hearing of the Independent Commission for the Study of Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Church of the President of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP), José Ornelas, Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Manuel Clemente and the Minister of Justice, among others.

On February 23, in statements to journalists in Parliament, Chega President Andre Ventura announced that the party intends to propose the creation of a parliamentary working group “specifically addressing the sexual abuse of minors and follow-up action on this issue.” “.

The goal, he explained, would be to have a permanent group in the Assembly of the Republic for “legislative, institutional improvement work” in order to create a “solid legal building in terms of combating sexual abuse of minors.”

This Thursday, Parliament is discussing the agenda setting planned by Chega, which was not among the signatories of the aforementioned request, on “the fight against sexual abuse of minors in Portugal”, which has bills and a resolution Enough, the Liberal Initiative and BE.

The Catholic Church’s Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse verified 512 testimonies, extrapolating to at least 4,815 victims. Twenty-five cases were sent to the State Department, which opened 15 investigations, nine of which were closed.

The commission transmitted a list of the alleged rapists, some of whom were active, to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, which forwarded to the dioceses a decision to dismiss the priests suspected of rape and declined to award compensation to the victims.

This Wednesday, the Archdiocese of Évora and the Diocese of Angra in the Azores announced the suspension of three priests pending an investigation into their alleged mistreatment.